Losing Game: A Winning Ace Novel (Book 2)

by Tracie Delaney

  Tally shook her head and pressed the dice back into Em’s hands. “No, you go.”

  Em shrugged and threw the dice once more, launching herself at Rupe when she won again, the two of them whooping and hollering like a pair of kids.

  Tally grinned up at Cash. This was such a fun night. The smell of the casino, the noise of the crowd, and Cash’s firm body close by all contributed to the excited fizzing in her stomach.

  After they’d watched Em and Rupe for a while, Cash’s arms snaked around her waist, and he tugged her gently away from the crowd.

  “Let’s go,” he whispered.

  “Okay, I’ll grab Em.”

  “No,” he said, his teeth gently grazing her earlobe. “Leave them. Rupe will take care of her.”

  Tally leaned into him, intense need unfurling in her abdomen. Cash’s hot tongue traced a path from her earlobe, down her neck, and she held back a groan.

  “Come on. I’ve had to wait hours to do what I wanted to do ever since you walked out of the bedroom in that dress.”

  “And what’s that?” she teased.

  “Sweetness, don’t tempt me, because you know I have no boundaries.”

  She clenched her core in an attempt to control the flood of desire. Cash didn’t wait for her to agree. He simply swept her out of the casino. When he flicked his wrist, a car pulled up, and he eased her inside.

  13

  Cash grabbed a copy of the Belfast Telegraph and a juice and wandered up on deck. It was already quite warm. He found a shady spot and settled down to read the paper.

  He flicked to the sports pages, delighted to see Harlequins had beaten Armagh 32-10 the previous day. He quickly scanned the football results. As he turned to the financial section, Rupe appeared on deck with bleary eyes and dishevelled hair.

  “What the fuck happened to you last night?” he said with an exaggerated yawn.

  Cash shrugged. “Decided I’d had enough.”

  “You could have told us. We spent about half an hour looking for you before we realised you’d fucked off.”

  “Sorry, darling,” Cash replied. “Didn’t realise I had to report in.”

  Rupe flipped him the bird and took a swig of Cash’s juice before Cash swiped it back. “Get your own.”

  “It is my own.”

  Cash laughed. “Fair point.”

  “Where’s Tally?”

  “I left her sleeping. She’s knackered.”

  Rupe rolled his eyes. “I’m not surprised with you fawning over her every five minutes.”

  “Fawning?” Cash raised an eyebrow. “Have you been reading the Times again?”

  “There’s nothing wrong with expanding your vocabulary.”

  Cash snorted loudly. “Since when?”

  Rupe ignored his sarcasm. He added a healthy amount of cream to the coffee he’d been brought by one of the deck hands and sank into a nearby chair. “What time are you off today?”

  “Have you ever thought about low-fat milk?” Cash said, nodding at Rupe’s cup.

  “Tastes like shit.”

  “Better for your ever-expanding waistline, though.”

  “Screw you, oh holier-than-thou wise one. Please tell me you’re off to practice soon.”

  Cash grinned and glanced at his watch. “A couple of hours.” He snagged an apple from the fruit bowl. He’d need to eat something soon but wanted to wait for Natalia. He wouldn’t see her all day as it was. He’d told her not to come to practice––he didn’t need her to witness his humiliation––so she was going shopping with Emmalee instead.

  After half an hour, when she still hadn’t appeared, he wondered if there was something in Rupe’s earlier dig. He’d always had a voracious sexual appetite, but it had significantly increased since he’d met Natalia. Maybe he needed to back off a bit.

  Hmm, no. That won’t work. He could barely keep his hands off her as it was, let alone touch her less.

  “Where’s Emmalee?” he said to Rupe, who was throwing fish food over the side of the boat. “I thought she’d be up by now.”

  Rupe brushed the remains of fish food off his hands. “Already up and out. Went for a run.”

  “She’s keen,” Cash muttered. He’d kept a close eye on Emmalee, expecting her to have another dig at him about why Natalia had chosen to forgive him. He couldn’t stop the nagging doubt that Emmalee would put Natalia under so much pressure she’d buckle and tell Em about his past, although Natalia hadn’t mentioned any probing.

  Cash went back to reading the paper, but it didn’t last long. He sensed Natalia before he saw her, and he slowly raised his head. She hadn’t bothered getting dressed, instead deciding to cover up in a floor-length satin dressing gown. If she was naked underneath, he definitely approved.

  “There you are,” he said, patting the seat next to him. She sat down and rested her head on his shoulder.

  “You should have woken me. I didn’t mean to sleep this late.”

  “You needed it.”

  “Yeah, but I won’t see you all day.” Her bottom lip stuck out in a pout.

  Cash laughed and bent his head, sucking her lip into his mouth. “Plenty of time later, sweetness.”

  “For real?” Rupe said, holding his hands out to the sides, palms up.

  “Where’s Em?” Natalia asked.

  “She’s gone for a run,” Rupe said.

  “A run?” Natalia laughed. “Em doesn’t run. I bet she spotted a guy she fancied on the quayside and decided to stalk him.”

  “Poor bastard,” Cash said, earning a dig in the ribs from Natalia. “You hungry?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What do you want?” he said, beckoning to Rob, one of the deck hands.

  “Porridge and fruit.”

  “Ham and cheese omelette for me, please, Rob. And a protein shake. Rupe?”

  Rupe shook his head. “Still recovering from last night.”

  Rob disappeared below deck as Emmalee arrived back on the boat. There wasn’t a bead of sweat on her, although she’d dressed for running.

  “You just missed the breakfast order,” Cash said. “If you run, you’ll catch Rob.”

  “Unless you think you’ve already done enough running for the day,” Natalia said with a giggle.

  Emmalee raised an eyebrow. “What are you trying to say, Tal?”

  “Did you catch him?”

  Emmalee laughed. “You know me too bloody well. It’s rather annoying.”

  “Well, did you?”

  “As a matter of fact, I have a date tonight. You need to help me find something fabulous and a little bit slutty when we go shopping later.”

  She spun around and headed below deck, presumably after Rob.

  Cash leaned towards Natalia. “Here,” he said, passing her his credit card. “Feel free to buy something fabulous and a little bit slutty for yourself too.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t take your money, Cash.”

  Cash held back from rolling his eyes. “It’s not my money.”

  “Yes, it is.” She sighed, and her head flopped against the chair.

  “What’s the problem?” He couldn’t keep the hard edge out of his voice. He did not understand her stubbornness on this issue.

  “If you two are about to have a domestic, I’m going.” Rupe wandered off in the same direction as Emmalee. He had never been subtle but had always been able to read Cash.

  “You agreed to move in.”

  “Yes. But I didn’t agree to being a kept woman.”

  Cash let out an exasperated sigh. “Oh, come on, Natalia. Don’t make a big deal out of this. Just take the fucking card.”

  “Cash,” she said, her tone low but firm, as if she was talking to an errant child who’d chucked his crayons on the floor in a fit of pique. “I value my independence, and you pushing your money on me makes me feel as though that freedom is being taken away. Pete’s already put a couple of freelance jobs my way, so I’ll be getting back to work soon, and that means I’m perfectly capable of
contributing.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “And I’m supportive of you getting back to work. It was my idea that you freelance, remember? But no matter how hard you work, you’ll never make enough to live the kind of life I want for you. I’ve never had anyone to lavish my money on except myself. And believe me, that becomes fucking boring after a while.” He uncrossed his arms and picked up her hand. “I want you to have the world, Natalia, and I want to be the one to give it to you.”

  Her mouth creased in thought. “You’re not going to fight me on the work thing?”

  He frowned. “Why on earth would I do that? I’ll always support your career. I know how much being a journalist means to you, and freelancing is the best of both worlds. I get to have you travel with me, and you get to do what you love.”

  Her face broke out into a huge grin. “I do love you, Cash Gallagher.”

  He waved the credit card in the air. “Then take this. Please, babe. It’ll make me happy. This is Monte Carlo, and everything costs a fucking fortune. Go with Emmalee, have a good time, and you can tell me all about it later.”

  He watched the conflict play out on her face, showing her caught between pleasing him and still feeling in control of her independence. He knew he’d won when she whipped the card from between his fingers.

  “Okay. But I’ll still be hunting for the bargains.”

  He grinned and kissed her cheek. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

  14

  Em and Tally left for the shops not long after Tally had waved Cash off to Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, where the Monte-Carlo Masters would kick off in less than a week. For the first time since they’d met, his supreme confidence appeared to have slipped, although he was doing his best to hide it from her. Two months away from competitive tennis had to seem like a lifetime. She’d bet the fact he was going into the tournament without being seeded first—something he hadn’t done in years—was preying on his mind. She’d have to try and find a gift to cheer him up, although she didn’t have a clue what to buy. What could she get for the man who already had everything?

  “Where should we head first?” Tally said. She’d never been to Monte Carlo. Em, though she’d never been there either, would have it all planned out. She was the queen of buying anything and everything—the perfect consumer. Tally, on the other hand, rarely shopped unless she needed to.

  “Carré D’Or, of course,” Em said with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

  “And what’s so special about Carré D’Or?”

  “It’s where the rich shop, babes. Think Rodeo Drive or Champs Élysées.”

  “Neither of us can afford to shop there,” Tally said.

  “You can.”

  “No, I can’t.” Tally let out a huff of frustration. “I’ve told you—I might have Cash’s credit card, but I’m not taking advantage.”

  Em rolled her eyes. “Come on. It’ll be fun. Even if we don’t buy anything, we can press our noses up against the windows of the posh shops and piss off the staff.”

  “How do you know about Carré D’Or, anyway?”

  Em shrugged. “I asked Rupe.”

  Tally chuckled. “Perhaps you should have asked Rob. He might have been able to suggest somewhere a little more in our price range.”

  Em linked her arm through Tally’s. “Why should I do that when I have you? If there’s a bargain to be had, you’ll sniff it out.”

  With Google Maps on their phones, they made their way to Carré D’Or. Tally didn’t need to read the street sign to know when they’d arrived. Sleek shop fronts, pristine streets, and stylish architecture—the place oozed money.

  “I was born to be rich,” Em said, peering through a window filled with clothes she couldn’t afford. “If I won the lottery, I wouldn’t be one of those people who says, ‘Nothing’s going to change—I’ll still work, still get my clothes from Primark,’ blah, blah, blah. I’d change everything.”

  “Yeah, well, you’re not rich. Bad luck.”

  Em playfully bumped her shoulder against Tally’s. “Cash is wasted on you. At least his money is. If I nabbed a rich guy, I’d know exactly what to do with all that lovely wonga.” She rubbed her thumb over the tips of her fingers.

  Tally laughed. “Maybe your date tonight will work out, and he’ll whisk you off to live in a mansion overlooking the Mediterranean.”

  “Doubt it. He’s a student doctor.”

  “Aww, never mind. Come on—let’s try to find some shops that sell stuff we can afford.”

  Em reluctantly followed, although Tally did have to stop several times when she realised her friend had been tempted by yet another ridiculously priced dress and was lagging behind, her nose pressed up against a tinted window.

  “You’re like a magpie,” she said, hauling Em away. “You see something shiny, and you’re gone.”

  Em grinned unashamedly, and after a few more unplanned stops, Tally managed to coax her away from Carré D’Or.

  They wandered around for about half an hour, eventually coming across a narrow street full of unique one-off shops and without a chain store in sight. Now, this is more like it. Thrilled with her find, Tally ignored Em’s grumbling and dragged her friend into a few clothes shops, all of which Em turned her nose up at, before they came across one that looked quite promising. It had lots of one-of-a-kind designs at reasonable prices.

  “Here,” Tally said, holding up a fitted knee-length teal dress with a plunging neckline and a scooped back. “This would be perfect on you.” Em wouldn’t be able to wear a bra with it, but she didn’t have the same problem as Tally in that department.

  “Ooh, that is lovely.” Em glanced at the price tag and nodded in approval. “I knew you’d sniff out the bargains.”

  “Go and try it on.”

  Five minutes later, Em peeked around the curtain of the fitting room and waved Tally over. “What do you think?” she said, pushing the curtain to one side.

  Tally whistled. “Wow. You’re a knockout. Buy it.”

  Em smoothed her hands over her hips and stood on tiptoes. She turned to the side and frowned into the mirror. “You think?”

  “Yep. Makes your legs look fantastic, and you’ve got the figure to pull off a dress like that.”

  “As do you.”

  Tally snorted. “With these”—she pointed to her chest—“I need the support.”

  “That’s what tit tape is for.”

  “Hardly. Duct tape more like.”

  They burst into laughter. It had been ages since Tally had been shopping with Em, and she’d forgotten how much fun it could be.

  Em bought the dress, and they headed off to find matching shoes. Em decided on a pair of skyscraper heels in nude, which went perfectly with the dress but would mean she wouldn’t be able to walk properly for a week afterwards. Still, Em seemed to think the overall look would be worth the sacrifice.

  “Fancy lunch?” she asked Tally as they wandered back onto the street.

  “Do you mind if we visit a little shop I spotted down there first?”

  “Don’t tell me you’re finally going to buy something?”

  “I saw a perfect gift for Cash in the window when we were passing earlier.”

  Em rolled her eyes. “Seriously? What about a little gift for you?”

  “I haven’t seen anything I like.”

  “Okay, let’s go. On one condition.”

  Tally narrowed her eyes. Em’s conditions usually involved something Tally wouldn’t like. “What’s that?”

  “You might not have seen anything, but before, I spotted a fabulous dress you’d look gorgeous in. So here’s the deal. We’ll go to the shop. You buy whatever it is you’ve spotted for Cash, then you have to come with me, try the dress on, and promise to keep an open mind.”

  Tally nibbled on her lip. “Oh, Em, I’m not sure.”

  “If it makes it easier, think of it as another gift for Cash,” Em said with a giggle.

  Tally’s eyebrows shot up towards her
hairline. “How hot is this dress?”

  “Babes, it’ll blow his mind.”

  She laughed. “You’re incorrigible.”

  “That sounds like a yes.”

  “Do I have a choice?” Tally said, already regretting giving in when Em flashed a wicked grin her way.

  As they walked into the gift shop, the bell above the door tinkled. Tally headed straight for the window display and picked up a pair of silver cufflinks.

  “Can you engrave these?” she asked the shop assistant, holding them in her outstretched hand.

  “Certainly, mademoiselle. Did you have something in mind?”

  Tally dug a pen and paper out of her bag and drew what she wanted. Em leaned over her shoulder.

  “He’s going to love those.”

  “Do you think so?”

  “Yep. I like the design too.”

  Tally tweaked her drawing slightly before handing it over. “Will it take long?”

  “No, mademoiselle.”

  “I’ll wait, then.”

  While the cufflinks were being engraved, Tally took a look around. She wasn’t a big clothes shopper, but sifting through knickknacks and one-off items was her idea of heaven.

  “Here we are, mademoiselle.” The shop assistant passed her the engraved cufflinks. Tally examined her work. They’d turned out better than she’d imagined they would.

  “I love them,” she said, handing over her own credit card. She worked out she’d still be within her credit limit once they were charged. They were her gift to Cash, and it didn’t seem fitting to use his money to buy them. But she needed to get back to work soon. Her statement would be due any day, and she’d only have a couple of weeks to pay it. She had to get going on the article for Pete later.

  “Just you to sort now,” Em said.

  The place Em had in mind was only a five-minute stroll away. Em headed straight for a rack at the far end of the store and rifled through.

  “Aha, here it is.”

  She held up a floor-length dark-red dress with a low neckline and a slit up the side. Tally’s mouth fell open.

  “What do you think?” Em said.

  “You have got to be kidding. I can’t get away with that.”